


polarize

by Stjosten



Category: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic
Genre: Developing Relationship, Found Family Vibes, Kevin being Kevin, M/M, Magic, Magic AU, Overprotective Andrew, Soul Binding, Swearing, Witches, allusions to past trauma, enemies to lovers to literal soulmates, nathan is mentioned but never present, neil has an attitude
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-13
Updated: 2020-09-13
Packaged: 2021-03-06 15:13:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,304
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26450920
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Stjosten/pseuds/Stjosten
Summary: Wymack brings Neil to stay at the Palmetto Coven until the end of his father's trial. Against all odds, Neil finds a way to make himself a home.
Relationships: Neil Josten/Andrew Minyard
Comments: 46
Kudos: 382
Collections: AFTG Exchange Fall 2020





	polarize

**Author's Note:**

  * For [giucorreias](https://archiveofourown.org/users/giucorreias/gifts).



> This is the AFTG Exchange Fall 2020 fic for [giucorreias](https://archiveofourown.org/users/giucorreias)! They requested something with magic, mystical binding, and soulmates. I hope this hits the mark for you!! I had a lot of fun working on it! :)

Neil arrived at the Palmetto coven covered in bandages and freshly made wounds with the promise that they would keep him safe until his father’s trial was over. 

Why they brought him _here_ of all places was beyond his understanding. The Palmetto Coven was well known for their dysfunction and Wymack’s pension for taking in unruly witches that weren’t wanted by any other coven. They were small but destructive, a full pack of feral witches with little to no training or control. 

Neil didn’t think that Palmetto could ever equal safety, no amount of raw magical power would be enough against his father and his followers. Neil didn’t have much of a choice in the matter. It was either Palmetto or remaining in custody with the Witch’s Council, something that he was not comfortable with. Considering the amount of trouble they had put him through when he was with them for just a little over two weeks. 

But sometimes, _sometimes_ Neil _really_ wished he had stayed with the stuffy old assholes up in D.C. Staying with the Palmetto Coven was like being blindfolded and asked to walk across a room full of sharp glass. At any given moment Neil could be stabbed in the foot, especially if he pissed off the wrong person. 

Which is what he somehow managed to do almost immediately. There were a handful of members of the Palmetto Coven that would happily choke Neil to death if given permission. 

This wasn’t _safety_. This was a poorly veiled excuse to get Neil out of the council’s hair and only Wymack was stupid enough to accept Nathaniel Wesninski into his coven, albeit temporarily. 

He was no safer here than he was out on the streets on his own. But Neil didn’t have any resources to keep himself alive. No money, no way to get from point A to point B, and no real point B to even get to. He was floating out at sea, riding the waves and letting the council and their band of useless witches drag him around by a fishing line. 

Neil didn’t leave his room for the first few weeks. Dan, Wymack’s leader in training, would come by every once in a while to try and coerce him into socializing. He had avoided contact for as long as he could. He didn’t feel like suffering through Seth’s glares, or Abby’s sad smiles, or Renee’s knowing looks, or Kevin’s pure curiosity. And he _especially_ did not want to deal with Andrew’s calculating gaze. 

He felt like a test subject when placed in a room with all of them. They watched and watched and watched. Neil could only handle so much before he was getting frustrated, the tips of the magic bindings on his wrists would twist and snarl against his skin and burn when he started to get angry. So he just avoided it. Avoidance was easier. 

But it had been three weeks. Three weeks of avoiding responsibility and taking on the expected duties of all members of the coven. Wymack had given him time to adjust and it was quickly running out. Soon enough he would have to sit in on their meetings, their meal times, and their training sessions. Worst of all he would be forced to the first floor of the Coven’s home and work the small occult shop that paid their bills. 

Part of him wished that his father had just killed him in Baltimore. Being tortured wasn’t as taxing as dealing with a coven full of nasty witches. 

Neil rubbed a hand over his face and stood up from his bed. It was still early. He hadn’t been sleeping well since he arrived and he had a tendency to rise with the sun. The coven was usually asleep at this hour. It was the only time of day that Neil could roam freely without fear of running into someone. He left his room and closed the door behind him. 

The Palmetto Coven resided in a three story brick building in the dead center of Palmetto, South Carolina. Wymack said that it was easier to hide in plain sight. The general public wasn’t aware about the existence of magic and it was more likely for teenagers and children to start rumors about them if they were much more reclusive and secretive in their living situation. So Wymack bought the biggest building in downtown Palmetto, transformed the first floor into an occult shop called The Foxhole and moved the coven upstairs. 

It was smart in theory and only really worked in practice thanks to the extensive amount of wards that the building was wrapped in; from soundproofing to containment to protective wards. There was no way that the general public would just _miss_ someone like Kevin Day causing a maelstrom of magic in the basement of the Foxhole. 

Neil made his way down to the kitchen in hopes of making himself a cup of coffee before scurrying back off to his bedroom without being noticed. Apparently it was not his lucky day. He stepped into the kitchen and immediately caught sight of Andrew Minyard. 

There weren’t that many members of the Palmetto Coven so it probably didn’t say much but Andrew Minyard was, by far, the most dangerous. Seth was much louder with his distrust and obvious loathing of Neil’s existence, but it was clear that Andrew shared his sentiment. Only Andrew was quieter about his feelings but Neil was good at picking up on subtle shifts in a person’s emotional state or magic. Years of practice from dealing with his father. 

Which meant that Andrew, more often than not, was surrounded by a bubbling air of _distrust._ He watched Neil with sharp eyes, his blank expression barely giving anything away, but the tension in his jaw was clear as day to someone like Neil. Someone who had learned the key signs that said he was about to get hit. 

For half a second Neil debated just leaving the kitchen and returning to the safety of his isolated bedroom, but he also knew that as soon as he left he would be conceding defeat. 

Neil walked into the kitchen and went straight to the coffee pot. He ignored Andrew’s sharp as ever gaze, and grabbed a mug from the cabinet.

Andrew didn’t speak. He smelled faintly of cigarettes and something spicy like burnt cinnamon. Neil brewed a pot of coffee and leaned as far away from him as he could while he waited for the pot to brew. 

“You’re doing it wrong,” Andrew said with no inflection. 

Neil shot him a look and tapped his fingers against the counter. 

“What the fuck could I be doing wrong?” Neil asked, “It’s coffee.” 

“You added too much water,” Andrew replied dryly. He reached out and stopped the pot from brewing and popped open the top so he could add more coffee grinds. “Do you know how to read?” 

The binding marks on Neil’s wrist twisted painfully. He squeezed his fists and let the feeling of his nails scratching against skin ground him. 

“I’m not illiterate,” Neil retorted. Andrew shrugged and checked the water level before popping the top closed. 

“Could have fooled me.” 

The coffee pot whirled back to life, humming and then moaning loudly. Neil kept his eyes trained on Andrew, who was looking with great disinterest towards the ceiling. 

“Do you have a problem?” Neil asked before he could think better of it. 

Andrew looked down and caught Neil’s eye, a sort of sinister smirk took over his face and Neil’s heart spiked and then jolted.

“See,” Andrew started, “I’m trying to figure that out.” 

“What does that mean?” 

“You play the part of an innocent victim very well,” Andrew said, “But I think there’s more to it than that.” 

Neil bit the inside of his cheek until he tasted blood. “Are you suggesting I’m- what a spy or something?” 

“Or something,” Andrew commented, “What say you, Wesninski?” 

It wasn’t the first time someone called him by his father’s name and it wouldn’t be the last. Even if he tried to pretend, Neil would always be a Wesninski at heart. 

“I’m not here to hurt anyone,” Neil said, “The council placed me here. I didn’t have many options.” 

Andrew hummed and reached into the black armband around his right arm. He pulled out a sharpened knife the color of charcoal. Neil tried not to react but he took one steady step back at the sight. 

“If you’re a problem,” Andrew said casually, he twirled the knife with one hand with ease and grace, “I will have to take care of you.” 

“I’ll be long gone before then,” Neil said with a touch of fire in his words, “Do you even know how to use that?” 

Andrew leaned back against the counter, his body loose and a look of ease on his face as he lifted the knife and chucked it across the kitchen. It hit one of Abby’s wooden wall hangings across the room dead center. Neil followed the line from the knife back to Andrew’s hand. He looked incredibly proud of himself.

“Neat,” Neil deadpanned.

Andrew’s smirk grew but it held no hint of amusement. “I never miss.” 

He stood up straight from the counter and walked across the room, grabbing the knife from the wooden board and then tucking it back into his black armband. Neil kept a careful eye on him as he moved across the room and to the door. 

The coffee pot beeped behind him but Neil didn’t want to take his eyes off of Andrew for even a second. 

“Prove me wrong,” Andrew said, “The others might think they have a say in what happens around here, but if you can’t prove to me that you aren’t a threat by the end of the month, I will make sure that you never step foot in the Foxhole again.” 

With that Andrew turned and disappeared out the door. Neil’s legs nearly gave out from under him. He reached behind him and steadied himself on the countertop, his knuckles turning white with the force of his squeezing. 

Yeah, Andrew was definitely the most dangerous person in the Palmetto Coven. If Neil wasn’t careful he might have his throat cut open in his sleep. 

━━━━━

Three weeks was not enough time for Neil to settle in before being thrust into being an active member of the coven. Dan added his name to the alternating chores list in the lounge and Wymack started putting him on the schedule for running the shop downstairs. The only thing that he did not sway on was his involvement in their training. 

Neil had never been given the chance to practice his magic as a child. It had settled earlier than most. He was ten when his magic first started to manifest. He couldn’t remember any of it. His magic had curled and twisted and then _snapped_. He remembered the feeling of being burned alive and then he woke up in his mother’s arms with the binding marks on his wrist. 

Mary had claimed that it was for his own good. That his magic was uncontrollable and dangerous. She wore matching marks on her own wrists. He was too young to really consider what had been done to him. His magic was tied and bound like a bundle of flowers surrounded by twine. The only way he could ever access his magic again was if the bindings were removed and Neil didn’t trust anyone enough for that to happen. 

Kevin still tried. When Andrew was around Kevin Day ignored him, but as soon as Andrew was out of the room, or sent off to do something else, Kevin would appear out of nowhere and start pestering Neil to no end. 

“I _know_ that Wymack can remove the bindings,” Kevin said. Neil was currently cleaning shelves in the shop. The small occult store was empty as it often was in the middle of the week. Neil had been given just ten minutes of quiet before Kevin had come out of the backroom with a look of determination on his face. 

“I told you,” Neil started, trying to keep his anger in check, the bindings on his wrist were already starting to burn painfully, “No one can remove them.” 

“He _can_ ,” Kevin said, “It’s a waste to keep your magic bound. You are a witch. It is your birthright-” 

“Just shut up,” Neil cut him off. The bindings twisted around his wrists and he tried to swallow down the lingering anger. “I said _no_.”

Kevin was _not_ happy about being denied anything. Neil suspected that it did not happen very often enough. 

“You have potential,” Kevin said, “Your magic is bound but I can still feel it.” 

Neil stopped his idle dusting and looked straight to Kevin. 

“What does _that_ mean?” 

“It means that you have a huge reserve of magic inside of you,” Kevin said, “You just need to learn how to control it.” 

Neil grit his teeth and dropped the towel onto the shelf. 

“Yeah, well,” Neil started, “I’ve tried before. It didn’t stick.” 

Kevin didn’t look convinced. “Just think about it.” 

Neil shook his head and looked away. He scooped up the towel and went back to the front counter, dropping it down onto the lower shelf. 

“Where’s your bodyguard?” Neil asked, “I’m surprised he let you off your leash.” 

“Andrew doesn’t control me,” Kevin said, he shuffled from one foot to the other and then added, “He thinks I’m in the basement training.” 

Neil smirked. His suspicions were confirmed then. Andrew didn’t want Kevin interacting with Neil one on one. Neil imagined that they had some strange relationship between them. Andrew didn’t seem like the type to tolerate dating someone like _Kevin Day_ , but then again he seemed to be full of surprises. The knife was case and point.

“You better run along then,” Neil said, “You don’t want him to find out that you lied.” 

Kevin opened his mouth to make a quick retort but shut it and nodded in one fluid motion. He went to the backroom and stopped by the door. He looked Neil over and then said, “I mean it. You’re full of untapped potential.” 

“Yeah, let’s keep it untapped,” Neil said before waving a hand in dismissal. He heard Kevin sigh and the backdoor swing open and then closed once again. 

Neil looked at the binding marks on his wrist. Black and red swirls like twisting vines against his skin. He ran a finger over the thin lines on his left wrist and watched how they jumped and danced. 

Wymack could claim that he can remove them and Kevin can claim that he could teach Neil control, but the truth was that Neil had no idea what would happen to him if the bindings were removed. There was no way of knowing if his magic was truly as uncontrollable as his mother always said it was. 

Sometimes he wished he could. Having magic was a gift, one that Neil had never really been able to appreciate or experience. He wanted it. He liked to watch the way the foxes interacted with their magic. Casual and with great ease. It left a feeling of longing in the pit of his chest when he saw the way they passed around spells and charms as easily as one breathed. 

It was a dream that he could never obtain. A really, really nice dream, but one that Neil had no chance of fulfilling. He was going to leave the Palmetto Coven eventually, even if he wanted to stay, he was sure that Andrew or Seth would throw a fit and force him out. 

This was the price he paid for being born a Wesninski. His magic was bound, his entire family was dead, and he had nowhere left to go. Which also meant that he had nothing left to lose. 

━━━━━

A full month passed with little to no incidents. Andrew didn’t try and confront Neil again but he made a point to keep his pack of monsters as far away from Neil as possible. This included his overly friendly cousin Nicky and his twin brother Aaron. It was clear that Neil was the outcast. As much as Dan tried to make him feel welcome, there was a large gap between Neil and everyone else that he couldn’t manage to bridge. 

Neil tried not to let it bother him too much. He went about his regular duties without protest. He worked in the shop twice a week, completed the chores that he was given everyday, and sometimes he would help Matt or Dan cook meals in the kitchen.

Coexisting with the Foxes was starting to feel less and less like a challenge. Neil knew who to avoid and when to avoid them. He also quickly learned that Allison and Renee were truly neutral when it came to his presence in the coven. They didn’t treat him one way or the other, which meant that they were his favorite people to be around. Most of the time they just let him be.

Neil was in the lounge with Renee while she stitched together an old pair of pants that Matt had managed to damage during a training session. At first Neil found Renee’s energy off-putting, she was calm and collected but there was something dark and sinister underneath her gaze that had him on edge. After just observing her for so long he realized that she wouldn’t act on the darkness, it just lingered like silly string around her softened edges. 

It was easier being with Renee. She didn’t try to talk to him as she sewed the pants back together again. He watched her, his hands tucked under his chin and his legs curled up underneath himself on the chair adjacent from her.

There was a knock on the door of the lounge and Neil looked up in time to see Andrew standing in the doorway. He was dressed in all black, his eyes sharp as he took in the sight of Neil sitting so close to Renee. 

“Come with me,” Andrew said. 

Neil looked over to Renee and then back to Andrew, trying to figure out if the command was for him or for her. 

“You, Wesninski,” Andrew said sternly. 

Neil bit his lip and narrowed his eyes. 

“Try calling me by my name first,” Neil said, “And I’ll consider.” 

“It was not a question,” Andrew said, “Follow me. Now.” 

“No,” Neil said with defiance. 

Andrew stepped into the room and the atmosphere changed. The lingering magic that he carried around with him was suddenly suffocating, the entire room was filled with sparks and the smell of cinnamon. Neil nearly choked on the sensation. 

“Andrew,” Renee said calmly, “I don’t think that’s necessary.” 

“I gave him a chance,” Andrew said. 

Neil wasn’t sure what he meant, but suddenly Andrew was taking a step into the room and his eyes were somehow darker than they had been before. 

**“Follow me.”**

Neil stood up without thinking and walked straight out of the room. He looked around in distress only to find that Renee was unsurprised by Neil’s reaction. Her expression was full of exasperation as she watched Andrew escort Neil out of the lounge. 

“You shouldn’t do that to him, Andrew,” Renee’s voice called after them. Andrew didn’t bother replying. He started walking to the stairs and went all the way up to roof access. Neil followed without much control over his body. His arms and legs felt stiff as he tried to fight back against the sensation of walking. Once they were outside Andrew’s eyes lightened and tucked his hands into the pockets of his pants. 

Neil’s entire body immediately loosened. His knees gave out and he dropped down to a crouch.

“What the _fuck_?” Neil asked. The edges of his bindings started to burn with his anger, “What did you do to me?” 

“It’s called charmspeak,” Andrew said as if it was the most boring thing in the world, “It’s what I do.” 

“You control people with your voice,” Neil said, his voice shaking, “So when you said that you could make sure I never step foot here again-”

“I could make it so that you start walking out the door and don’t stop until you walk yourself to the bottom of the ocean,” Andrew said, “Problem solved.” 

“You wouldn’t,” Neil replied, his voice low. As soon as he said it he realized that Andrew _just might_. 

“I wouldn’t,” Andrew confirmed, “But it wouldn’t be because I don’t want to.” 

Neil watched him walk across the rooftop and around the rooftop garden. He stopped right by the edge. From a distance it looked like he was about to walk straight off. 

Neil sucked in a breath and stood up straight, shaking out his aching legs as he walked over to stand next to Andrew. 

“What are we doing up here here?” Neil asked, “Are you going to push me over the edge?” 

“If you don’t stop talking, I might,” Andrew replied. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a pack of cigarettes, taking one out and lighting it. 

“Then why are we up here?” Neil asked. 

“Maybe I should charmspeak you to be fucking quiet for once,” Andrew said with more emotion than Neil had ever heard from him.

Neil’s mouth snapped closed but not because Andrew had commanded him, but because he had at least a sliver of self preservation skills left. Even if they went down the drain the moment his mother died. 

“Kevin is unbearable,” Andrew started, “It’s always _Neil this- Neil that-_ I’m starting to think he’s got a big crush on you.” 

Neil sputtered but kept quiet when Andrew sent him a harsh look. 

“I told him not to go anywhere near you until I figured out how safe you are,” Andrew said, “I told Nicky and Aaron the same.” 

“Clearly,” Neil said, risking the chance to speak, “Your lot avoids me like the plague.” 

“Good,” Andrew said. He took a long drag and blew the smoke in Neil’s direction. The smell was faintly minty but mostly bitter. It reminded him of his mother. 

“What do you want from me, Andrew?” Neil asked. 

“I want you to answer any questions I ask,” Andrew said, “And I don’t want to have to charmspeak the truth out of you.”

Neil chewed on the inside of his cheek nervously. “And then?” 

“And then I can decide if you’re worth the risk,” Andrew said, “And I’ll let Kevin train you to his little heart's content.” 

“Okay,” Neil said easily. He really didn’t have anything left to lose. What was the point of keeping all of his secrets? Maybe giving a piece of them away would lighten the load. 

Andrew eyed him warily before turning to face Neil completely. He looked him up and down and then settled on the twisting scars on his cheek. 

“Why did you come here with Wymack?” Andrew asked, “You could have stayed with the Council.” 

“They’re assholes,” Neil said, “They kept calling me Nathaniel and the room they had me in was basically a jail cell. I would have taken any offer someone made me. Wymack was just the first one that asked.” 

“Are you loyal to your father?” 

Out of everything that Andrew could have wondered about Neil, that was probably the last thing that he had expected. 

“All of these scars are from him,” Neil said, gesturing towards his face and then down his chest, “Why would you think I would be loyal to someone that’s tried to kill me so many times?” 

“Fear,” Andrew said simply. 

“He’s incarcerated,” Neil replied, “He’s bound and being held in the highest security prison that the witch’s council operates. He can’t get to me anymore.” 

The words sent a thrill up Neil’s spine. It was one thing to think of his own safety but to admit it out loud was something else entirely. He was as safe as he could be. His father’s followers were currently being rounded up and taken into custody. There really _wasn’t_ anyone coming for him. Not anymore. 

Andrew looked contemplative as he watched Neil. He took a long drag of his cigarette and then tossed it over the edge of the roof and down to the street below. 

“You could hurt someone doing that,” Neil commented. Andrew gave him an unimpressed look. 

“I’m done with you,” Andrew said suddenly. Neil just kept staring at him. 

“That’s it?” Neil asked in disbelief. 

“For now,” Andrew pulled out another cigarette and lit it, letting the smoke billow out and around him, “Go inside. I don’t want to see your face.” 

Neil rolled his eyes and mumbled, “Drama queen,” under his breath. If Andrew heard him then he had no reaction. Neil was just grateful that the interrogation was over, for now at least. 

“Does this mean you trust me?” Neil asked. Andrew looked him over from head to toe and then met his gaze head on. 

“No,” Andrew said. 

Neil heard the underline _but it’s a start_ that went unsaid. 

“Okay,” Neil replied. He tried not to smile but the curve of his lips was unavoidable. Andrew quickly looked away. 

“I will push you over if you don’t leave,” Andrew said. Neil started walking away, raising his hands in surrender as he went. 

“I would just drag you down with me,” Neil called behind him, before heading through the door and leaving Andrew behind. 

━━━━━

It took Kevin two days to finally confront Neil. He showed up at his room late at night with Andrew close behind him. Neil had given him one hard look and waited with his hand on the door knob, ready to slam it shut in his face. 

“What do you want?” Neil asked. 

“You’re coming with me,” Kevin said, “It’s time you start training.” 

Neil released his hold on the doorknob and raised his hands up to show off the binding marks on his wrists. 

“There is nothing to train,” Neil said. He didn’t miss the amusement in Andrew’s eyes, but it was quickly hidden away with a blink. 

“I’m going to prepare you for the removal of your binding,” Kevin said, “Training starts now.” 

Neil narrowed his eyes. “I already told you that you can’t remove my binding. It stays.” 

“You’re worried about control,” Kevin said firmly, “I can teach you control.” 

There was a look of determination in Kevin’s green eyes. Neil looked behind Kevin to Andrew. He didn’t look particularly interested in the turn of events, his arms were crossed and his expression gave nothing away. He raised a single eyebrow at Neil in a silent challenge. Neil bit down on the inside of his cheek to try and settle himself. 

He could go with them. This was what he wanted. A second chance. A chance to control his magic. A safe place to stay. A place full of people that might actually care about him. 

Without the vague threat of Andrew removing Neil from the picture, he realized that the Palmetto Coven was all of those things rolled into one. 

When he looked back at Kevin his decision had finally been made. 

“Fine,” Neil said. 

Kevin looked satisfied and smug. Neil was half-tempted to change his mind so he could wipe the look off of his face. The thought of having the chance to practice magic was far too tempting, so Neil kept his mouth shut. Instead, he gave Kevin a healthy shove out of his room with an elbow to the side and then closed the door. 

Neil had never been to the basement of The Foxhole. The entire basement had twice as many wards as the rest of the building. There were two locked doors and then a gate right at the bottom of the stairs. Kevin opened each one with ease and a wave of his hand. Neil watched with pure curiosity as they finally stepped into the training grounds that Neil had been avoiding for so long. 

The walls were painted in blacks and deep purples. There were shelves with varying equipment and in the far corner there was an entire library of books that seemed to go on forever. 

Kevin hit the lights and the room suddenly came into sharp focus. In the center was a large circle drawn on the ground and around the edges sat candles and empty bowls. 

“Satanic,” Neil said under his breath. Andrew let out a quiet snort that was covered by the exasperated sigh that Kevin let out.

“Come on,” Kevin said. He gestured towards a doorway on the far side of the room. Neil followed them through and walked straight out into a matted training room. He looked around at the reinforced walls, where swords and knives were hanging. 

“This is where we start,” Kevin said. He stopped in the center of the mat and turned to look at Neil. Andrew stayed back and leaned against the wall by the door, not bothering to take part in Kevin’s antics. 

Neil stepped further into the room and stopped just out of arm’s reach from Kevin.

“We’ll start simple,” Kevin said, “Meditation, breathing exercises, and self regulation.” 

“Sounds fun,” Neil said, voice dripping with sarcasm. 

“The fundamentals are important,” Kevin replied, unphased by Neil’s tone, “And you’re starting at absolute zero, so no complaining.” 

He immediately set Neil on the task of figuring out how to relax, controlling his emotions and headspace, something that was easier said than done considering that Kevin was a real _dick_ and Neil was almost immediately fed up with him. 

By the end of the night, Neil was frustrated and just wanted to go back to hiding in his room. Kevin sat down and demonstrated his own brand of magic in the center of the training room, the swirl of magic was overwhelmingly strong. Neil stayed back against the back wall by Andrew and watched. 

It was true that Kevin had impeccable control. His magic was elemental in nature and came through as controlled airwaves that twisted around the room and swept Neil’s hair across his face. Kevin sat in the center of the room, calm and collected, his legs crossed and his arms loose in his lap while a storm whipped around him. 

Not for the first time in his life, Neil felt a spike of jealousy at the easy use of magic. It was something he could never have. Something that he wanted _so_ badly. 

Kevin stopped his swirl of magic and stood from the center of the room and let out a long deep breath that was a gust of wind strong enough to knock Neil off his feet. 

“That’s what I meant by control,” Kevin said.

“Show off,” Neil muttered under his breath. 

They left the training room and Kevin ushered Neil back upstairs and out of the basement. 

“You’ll come with me every night,” Kevin said once they were back in the lounge on the second floor, “When you’re ready Wymack will remove the bindings on your wrist.” 

Neil swallowed against the feeling of panic in his throat and grit out, “Fine.” 

Kevin nodded and went off to his own room, leaving Andrew and Neil behind. 

“How does it feel?” Andrew asked. He was looking at his nails with a bored expression on his face. Neil couldn’t tell if it was an act or if he truly thought any interaction with Neil was boring. 

“How does _what_ feel?”

Andrew dropped his hand and gave Neil a hard look. He stepped forward and reached out, hooking a finger into the collar of his shirt and tugging hard enough for Neil to feel it. 

“They’re finally including you,” Andrew said, “No more running like the rabbit you are. How does it feel?” 

Neil’s face burned. He shoved Andrew’s hand away and stepped back, making a quick retreat to the door of the lounge before Andrew could get a hold of him again. 

“Don’t patronize me, Andrew,” Neil said, “You’re the reason everyone’s been keeping me at a distance. Tell me, did you charmspeak them into leaving me alone? I wouldn’t put it past you.” 

Andrew’s eyes darkened significantly and if anger could be as palpable as magic Neil would be able to _see_ the emotion coming off of him. 

“I don’t use it blindly,” Andrew said. 

“Then why did you use it on me?” 

“To prove a point,” Andrew replied. His eyes lightened and he turned away. Neil stayed close to the door, ready to run if he needed. 

“What point?” 

“That if you were a threat that I could get rid of you,” Andrew replied.

“A show of power then,” Neil said, his face twisting up with annoyance, “Just to scare me.” 

Andrew shrugged and looked away, his face was back to a neutral mask. Neil would rather have the anger back than watching Andrew push it all down and bottle it up. 

“You’re an asshole,” Neil said, but there wasn’t any real bite to his tone. Andrew noticed because the look he gave Neil was tinted in just the smallest amount of amusement. Enough for someone like Neil to notice. 

“So I’ve been told,” Andrew said, “It’s past your bedtime, Wesninski. You’re opening the shop tomorrow. Better get a move on.” 

Neil scowled, flipped Andrew off, and left the lounge without waiting to see his reaction.

━━━━━

Kevin showed up every single night to force Neil out of bed and train with him. Training was boring for the most part, there really wasn’t anything for him to train, Neil had no touchable magic and anything that lingering around him was usually eaten up by the bindings on his wrists. Kevin liked to poke at Neil’s insecurities, push him too far until he was pissed off and the bindings were twisting and burning against his skin. 

Trying to relax was harder than Neil thought it would be. He was constantly tense and Kevin had to push his head down or remind him to _breathe_ when they were practicing meditation. It was embarrassing. Neil had never had a chance to relax when he was growing up, it was always go, run, fight, don’t look back. Now that he had a place to _stay_ and a chance to unwind, he couldn’t. 

Andrew tagged along for training the first couple of nights but then stopped coming all together. Neil had asked Kevin why he doesn’t train with him and Kevin had said that he never has and never will. Their magic was very different but Neil still thought it was surprising that Andrew actively avoided the training room unless it was absolutely necessary. 

A month passed by rather quickly. Neil was more comfortable with meditation and breathing and found a way to control his outbursts of anger or frustration when Kevin tried to distract him. He could now easily sit in the center of the training room, calm and collected while Kevin threw insults and gusts of wind at his face. 

This also meant that his control over other things in his life was much better. Neil felt more comfortable sitting in the lounge when he used to just hide in his room. He talked to Renee when she offered quiet company and let Dan and Matt drag him around when they ran to the store. 

He was settling and with each attempt at settling he learned new things about himself that he hadn’t known before. Neil learned that he liked fruit and he liked sitting on the counter and watching Dan chop vegetables. He learned that he liked the colors blue and purple and he was fascinated by the stones in the Foxhole that had those colors. He learned that he liked listening to music and sometimes found himself humming along when it was playing in the lounge. 

Neil was becoming a real person. It was an overwhelming sensation. One that he wouldn’t trade for anything. 

Even with his new found control and comfort from having people that cared about him, he was still his father’s son. He was a sharpened knife ready to cut when prompted. 

Seth was the one who prompted. 

Neil could usually handle the name calling. Hearing Andrew call him Wesninski was exhausting but unsurprising at this point. But as soon as the words had left Seth’s mouth Neil was fuming, his bindings _burning_ and he knew, he _knew_ that if Seth opened his mouth one more time that something bad was going to happen. 

Which is what happened. Seth called him a _sacrificial blood magic baby_ and Neil punched him square in the face, hard enough to break his nose. Seth punched back and Neil took it because he wasn’t much of a fighter anyway, he had no clue how to dodge a hit that was coming straight for him. 

The entire lounge had erupted into chaos. Allison had laughed right at Seth and said, “That’s what you get for poking a sleeping bear.” Matt had to grab Seth and hold him back. Wymack looked at Andrew and then pointed at Neil, with his bleeding nose and twisted expression, and told them to get the fuck out of the room. 

Andrew had grabbed Neil by his arm and pulled him out of the lounge and up to his bedroom on the fourth floor. He stole a med kit from Abby’s office and ignored Aaron’s offer of assistance. 

Neil sat on the edge of Andrew’s bed and held the edge of his shirt to his dripping nose. Andrew’s bedroom fit him rather well. The walls were a dark gray and the bookshelves were stuffed to the brim with books that looked close to overflowing.

Andrew came back with a wet towel and a first aid kit in hand. He sat next to Neil, forced his head to turn this way and that as he assessed the damage. 

“It’s not that bad,” Neil offered. Andrew shook his head and pushed his hand away so he could replace the edge of his shirt with the towel. 

He didn’t say anything as he went through the med kit, picking out a row of bandages and an ice pack. 

“If anyone here was going to break my nose,” Neil started, “I thought it would be you.” 

“That can be arranged,” Andrew replied, not looking up from the med kit, “Wait for this to heal and I can break it all over again.” 

Neil let out a startled laugh and then cringed when he felt his nose start to bleed all over again. 

It was surprising how careful Andrew was. He reached out and whipped the blood off of Neil’s face with a gentleness that Neil didn’t think Andrew was capable of, especially not to someone like Neil. 

Neil watched him as he whipped the last of the blood and then grabbed a band-aid and carefully placed it over the split skin on his nose. Neil let out a low breath as Andrew cracked the ice pack and shook it to life. 

Andrew was sort of handsome in a dangerous way. His eyes were freckled, Neil hadn’t even known that was possible, and his lashes were a matching pale blonde to the hair on his head. Maybe Neil shouldn’t be staring so hard, maybe he shouldn’t suddenly think that Andrew was more attractive than he had previously noticed. 

He pushed the feelings aside and tried to remind himself that the careful way Andrew had handled him was from necessity not out of interest. 

“Don’t look at me like that,” Andrew said. He reached out with the ice pack and placed it over the bridge of Neil’s nose, holding it there for a second before reaching out to steal Neil’s hand to replace his own. 

“Like what?” Neil asked, slightly breathless. The ice pack was freezing under his fingers, he felt the cold all the way down to the bone. 

Andrew gave him a long quiet look. They just stared and stared and stared. Andrew looked away first, he cleaned up the med kit and threw the towel into a hamper by the door. 

“Why did you snap at Seth?” Andrew asked from across the room. He turned to look at Neil and crossed his arms, leaning back against the far wall, as far away as he could physically be. 

“He called me a sacrificial blood magic baby,” Neil said, “Said shit about me being like my father-” He paused and debated how much he wanted to admit, “He called me Wesninski.”

The flinch was so very subtle that Neil almost thought he imagined it. Andrew didn’t look pleased with his answer, whether the anger was directed towards Neil, Seth, or even _himself_ was particularly unclear. 

“You haven’t punched me yet,” Andrew said, looking away. 

Neil probably _would_ have punched Andrew if he brought up any of the other crude things that Seth had said. He probably _should_ have punched Andrew when he first started calling him Wesninski. But he didn’t and Neil knew that he wouldn’t. 

“I know,” Neil said quietly, unsure what he could say at that point. 

“Ice on and off every twenty minutes,” Andrew said, he stepped away from the wall and opened his bedroom door, “Now get out.” 

Neil chewed on the inside of his cheek and didn’t move for a second. He watched the way Andrew’s eyes darkened just a touch, as if he was one second away from charmspeaking Neil out of his room. 

“Go,” Andrew said, “Now.” 

Neil let out a deep sigh and stood up from the bed. He walked to the door and spared Andrew one glance before stepping through the threshold. 

“Thank you,” Neil said before gesturing towards his face for good measure. 

“Whatever,” Andrew replied. He slammed the door closed in Neil’s face and if he had been a step closer he probably would have made Neil’s nose start bleeding all over again. 

━━━━━

Neil went back to business as usual while his nose healed. No one mentioned it, but Allison gave him a discreet high five the next morning when no one was looking. It was inevitable that he bumped heads with Seth. It didn’t seem to change much about their relationship, Seth still openly glared when Neil entered the lounge the next morning, but this time he didn’t make any unwanted comments. Neil considered it a blessing. 

The day went by as per usual. He worked the shop downstairs, even with his bruised nose and a subtle black eye. He helped Dan and Matt cook dinner and then sat between Allison and Renee while they all ate together. 

He was awake and waiting when Kevin arrived and he silently followed him down to the training room and went through the entire nightly exercise without any pain or problems. When they were done Neil went up to the lounge and paused in the doorway. 

Andrew was sitting alone on the couch, his phone in one hand and the other casually twirling a knife around like it was nothing.

Neil watched him quietly before looking over his shoulder to see that Kevin had already retreated to his room. 

“You know,” Neil said, knocking his knuckles against the door frame so he wouldn’t startle Andrew, “Your relationship with Kevin is weird.” 

Andrew leaned his head back and stopped his mindless twirling in order to give Neil his full attention. There was always a subtle thrill down Neil’s back when Andrew’s focus was solely on him. 

“Explain,” Andrew said, waving his phone in Neil’s direction. 

“It’s just that,” Neil started, walking into the room and sitting down on the other side of the couch, “You don’t interact much.” 

“And?” 

“And,” Neil said, he felt a bit embarrassed to ask but he said, “Aren’t you dating?” 

Andrew snorted and for the first time since Neil met him his small smirk was from amusement and not a vague threat. 

“What?” Neil asked. 

“You think I’m dating Kevin?” 

“Why else would you be so weird about him spending time with me?” Neil asked, “Remember? You didn’t let him anywhere near me because you didn’t trust me.” 

“I didn’t let Aaron or Nicky near you either,” Andrew said.

“But they’re family,” Neil replied, “That’s different.” 

“Family means nothing to me,” Andrew said, “It’s about deals.” 

“Deals?” 

“Yes,” Andrew said. He dropped his phone and started to twirl the knife once again, “I have deals with them. I keep them safe, I watch their backs, and they do whatever I say.” 

“So you’re a control freak?” Neil asked, “I guess that makes sense.” 

“I’ve given up some of that control,” Andrew said, “I only have a deal with Kevin now.” 

Neil leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees. “What’s the deal?” 

“Protection from his past,” Andrew replied, he looked away from Neil and kept his eyes trained on the far wall. 

“What do you get out of it?” Neil asked. 

Andrew hummed. He lifted his arm, lined up a shot, and then threw the knife across the living room. It hit one of the hanging tapestries that Allison had picked out dead center. The blooming design wrapped around the knife as if it belonged there. 

“Said he’ll give me something to do,” Andrew said, “Something to look forward to.” 

Neil looked away from the stabbed tapestry and looked Andrew over. He looked washed out in the dark room and his large dark sweater wasn’t doing him any favors, completely drowning him in dark fabric. 

“Has he?” Neil asked. 

Andrew didn’t respond and Neil figured that it was answer enough. He stood up from the couch and reached out, giving Andrew a hand in offering. 

“Come on,” Neil said. Andrew looked from his hand up to Neil’s face in question.

“Just,” Neil said, shaking his hand to try and force his point, “Come on.” 

Andrew sighed deeply and took Neil’s hand, letting Neil drag him up to his feet. As soon as Andrew was standing Neil let go but gestured for him to follow.

They walked through the Foxhole quietly, careful not to wake the sleeping residence. They went straight to the roof and by the time they were outside and by the edge Andrew had two cigarettes lit. He handed one off to Neil and kept the other for himself. 

It was quiet. Neil stepped towards the edge and looked down, watching the empty streets of Palmetto as the rest of the world slept.

A hand gripped the back of Neil’s shirt and pulled him away from the edge. Andrew looked disgruntled and he dropped his grip on Neil’s shirt as if it burned his hand.

“What?” Neil asked, confused. 

Andrew stepped away and took a drag of his cigarette, his eyebrows knit together in annoyance. 

Neil stepped towards the edge again and watched as Andrew’s eyes immediately flicked over to him. Neil couldn’t help but smirk at the look of instinctual panic. 

“Afraid of heights?” Neil asked. 

Andrew grit his teeth and looked away, “Yes.” 

Neil didn’t want to test Andrew’s patience or his anxiety, so he stepped away from the edge and returned to Andrew’s side. 

“Why did you make that deal with Kevin?” 

“He needed someone to look out for him,” Andrew explained, “His old coven was abusive. He was afraid they would come for him- blah, blah, blah.” 

“So you decided to take him under your wing?” Neil asked, “Generous of you. Why was I a threat but Kevin wasn’t?” 

Andrew caught Neil’s eye and stared and stared. His gaze was always piercing, a physical weight that put Neil on edge, this time it made him shuffle from one foot to another. As if Andrew was _looking through him_. 

“Kevin has no spine,” Andrew said, “You’re like a ticking time bomb. It’s just a matter of time until you go off.” 

Neil shook his head. “I’m not going to explode.” 

Andrew looked away. “You might.” 

It felt like a confession, one that Neil couldn’t understand right now, not in the moment, when the air is thick and feels like there’s a low level charge of electricity between them. 

“Will you let me stay?” Neil asked, “When my father’s trial is over. I want to stay.” 

Andrew took a long drag and then let the smoke slip out between his lips, as if he didn’t have a care in the world. He took his time answering. He looked over the quiet streets below and then finally looked at Neil.

“Do whatever you want, Neil,” Andrew said dismissively. 

Neil’s heart flipped over several times at the sound of his own name coming from Andrew’s lips. 

“ _Oh_ ,” Neil said reverently, and then, “Okay.”

They didn’t speak again for the rest of the night. Andrew ended up lighting a second cigarette and then stealing Neil’s when it went out about halfway through. Neil watched the stars blink in and out of existence and pretended that he didn’t feel Andrew’s eyes on him the entire time. 

The next morning Andrew got an earful from Wymack about throwing knives inside the lounge. Neil covered his mouth with his hand and tried not to laugh at him.

━━━━━

It didn’t take very long for Neil to realize he sort of liked Andrew. 

Everynight, after training with Kevin, Neil would meet Andrew in the lounge and then follow him up to the rooftop. Some nights they talked, about pretty much anything and everything, other nights they would just share silent company. 

Neil learned that Andrew lived in foster homes until his magic manifested and he ended up telling his foster brother to walk himself into traffic. Fortunately, or rather unfortunately, his foster brother didn’t die, but it was enough for them to consider sending him back. Instead of dealing with another foster home he landed himself in juvie and stayed there until Wymack showed up with a deal and answers to why he can make anyone do anything he says. 

Neil also learned that Andrew hated charmspeaking. He never said it explicitly but the way he would grit his teeth and his eyes would sharpen like daggers told Neil everything he needed to know about Andrew’s feelings towards his own magic. Neil could see why he hated it. Andrew dealt with explicit consent and after the first time using charmspeaking on Neil he had never done it again. 

It was easy to exist around someone like Andrew. He didn’t push Neil one way or the other and only really pushed Neil’s buttons when it was necessary. It was easy to exist around him, which made liking him just as easy.

After two weeks of spending almost every night together they started sharing space outside of the rooftop. Andrew would come down to the shop when Neil was working just to bother him or sit behind the counter and glare at customers. Andrew also ended up helping Neil cook one night. That open display of friendship had several of the coven members asking about their relationship. Neil didn’t have a good answer, so he would just brush them off. 

Nothing really changed until after dinner one night, Andrew told Kevin to fuck off and forget about training and then dragged Neil up to the rooftop. They sat in silence until finally Andrew turned and hooked his finger into the collar of Neil’s shirt and asked, “Yes or no?” 

Neil said yes. Andrew kissed him. They kissed for the rest of the night and then they walked back to Neil’s room and Andrew kissed him again before pushing him inside and closing the door on him. 

It sort of felt like going from 0 to 80 miles per hour in under a second and without a seatbelt on. They snuck around behind the coven’s back and kissed when no one was looking. The only person that caught on was Renee, but she remained impassive as usual. 

Neil went from having nothing to having a home, friends, _a family_ , and Andrew. 

Sometimes it felt like too much but then Dan would ruffle his hair or Matt would wrap an arm around his shoulders and squeeze or Allison would poke at his cheek and complain about his fashion sense or Andrew would kiss him until his lips were swollen and he realized that it wasn’t too much but just enough. 

━━━━━

“You’re ready,” Kevin said. Neil looked up from his spot on the floor in the training room. Kevin was hovering beside him, tall and intimidating, his arms crossed and his gaze steady. 

“For what?” Neil asked. He sort of knew what was coming, it was a matter of time before Kevin finally brought up the inevitable conversation about Neil’s magic again. 

“For the unbinding,” Kevin said, “We can talk to Wymack tomorrow.” 

Neil let his head fall back against the soft padding of the matted floor and let out a deep breath. 

His control was better. It had taken months, but now Neil was able to keep his emotions at bay and check himself before a spike of anger caused his bindings to surge to life. He was stronger mentally than he ever has been. The idea was still terrifying, he didn’t know what lay just under the surface of his bindings, what magic his mother had kept hidden from him for all these years. 

“I don’t know,” Neil said emphatically.

Kevin frowned and nudged Neil’s leg with his foot. “You’ll be fine. I’m sure. You’ve been training for this.” 

“Right,” Neil mumbled, and then accepted Kevin’s hand to drag him up to his feet. 

Later when Neil was up on the roof with Andrew he laid back against the harsh pavement and twisted his shirt up in his fists. 

“Kevin is going to talk to Wymack about unbinding my magic,” Neil said, his voice low.

Andrew hummed and leaned back on one of his hands, the other held his cigarette out in front of them, a single point of burning in the darkness. 

“And?” 

“And,” Neil started, he twisted his shirt tighter and took in a deep breath, “I don’t know if it’s a good idea.” 

Andrew sat back up and used his free hand to push the hair off of Neil’s forehead. It was a painfully gentle gesture that had Neil’s heart stopping and starting all over again. 

“What do you think?” Neil asked. 

Andrew kept his fingers twisted in the messy curls at the top of Neil’s head and leaned a bit closer so that he was hovering over him. 

“What do you have to lose?” 

“What if it hurts?” 

“What if it doesn’t?” 

Neil bit his lower lip and looked away. “What if I really can’t control it and I hurt someone?”

“I won’t let you,” Andrew said with finality.

Neil looked back up. Andrew was wide enough to cover most of Neil’s view of the sky, but he didn’t need to see anything else. The freckled constellations on Andrew’s face, the ones that Neil had practically memorized, were more than enough. 

“Okay,” Neil said, and then added with a joking tone, “If you think you can handle it.” 

Andrew tugged on Neil’s hair roughly in retaliation. He laughed and pushed Andrew’s hand away, twisting his fingers over Andrew’s and then slipping them together until they were holding hands.

“It’ll be fine,” Andrew said. He sat up straight and took a long drag of his cigarette, never pulling his hand away from Neil’s. 

Neil tried to let his nonchalant attitude keep his nerves at bay, but Neil felt the anxiety of the unknown slipping it’s way through his blood stream. He squeezed Andrew’s hand a bit tighter and closed his eyes. If something went wrong he knew that he had a whole coven of people that were determined to help him. 

Hopefully it would be enough. 

━━━━━

The day of Neil’s unbinding the entire coven congregated in the lounge and ate together. Even Seth and Aaron were present, seeming to have a keen interest in what was sure to be a chaotic affair. 

Neil stayed between Andrew and Kevin the entire morning. He kept staring at the binding marks around his wrists and thought about his mother. She would kill him, surely. A part of him wondered if she would rise from her grave as soon as the bindings were removed. Maybe she would grab him by the neck and drag him back down with her. 

If anyone else caught on to Neil’s foul mood then they paid no mind. Dan congratulated him after breakfast and Matt wished him luck. Only Kevin, Andrew, Renee, Wymack, and Abby would go down to the basement with him. If anything were to go wrong, Andrew could charmspeak Neil undercontrol and Renee could calm him with a charm. 

Wymack kept saying that it was safe and Kevin told him over and over that he was ready but Neil knew that there was no way that this couldn’t go wrong. He didn’t spend his entire life with his magic binded for absolutely nothing and if he did, well then that was a different issue that he would need to unpack. 

His mother still had her sharpened nails deep in Neil’s skin, even from beyond the grave. Everything he did was according to her wishes. Run, hide, never be yourself, never stay in one place, and never settle. He had gone against all of her wishes and this was just the icing on the cake. 

Wymack led them down to the basement and the air felt heavier than it ever had before. They didn’t walk into the training room, instead Wymack led them to the center of the circle and started pulling out various items for the ritual. 

Neil didn’t bother watching him, he kept his eyes trained on Andrew, who was an unwavering force of calm beside him. Andrew didn’t disparage Neil’s need for comfort, he let him look his fill until the bubbling anxiety was more controlled. 

“We’re ready,” Wymack said.

Andrew gave Neil a nudge with his elbow and then nodded towards the circle in the center of the room. 

“You’ll make sure I don’t hurt anyone?” Neil asked, needing the reassurance, “Promise?” 

“Promise,” Andrew said under his breath, “Go.” 

Neil stepped away and avoided Kevin’s proud eyes and Renee’s reassuring smile. Abby walked him to the center of the circle, around the various bowls and lit candles, and told him to sit. 

“It might hurt,” Wymack said apologetically, “But it should be quick.” 

“Okay,” Neil whispered. He didn’t think he could make his voice work much more than that. 

The beginning was simple. Wymack opened the circle, he spoke his latin spell and stepped around to each point of the circle and dropped a handful of sandy ashes into the flames. Neil closed his eyes and looked down at his hands. The bindings started to dance and sharpen like knives against his skin. 

Wymack stopped pacing and took up the space right in front of Neil. 

Everything felt warm. The room was _sweltering_ , Neil sucked in a breath and looked down at the curling black ink. If the bindings could break skin Neil knew that his wrists would be in shreds right now. 

The longer Wymack spoke the hotter the room seemed to get. The burning under his skin intensified, it felt like molten lava had been dropped straight into the center of Neil’s stomach. He doubled over and closed his eyes. The bindings started to twist and break and suddenly Neil was lost. 

━━━━━

**“Neil.”**

Neil sucked in a breath and opened his eyes. 

He wasn’t in the basement of the Foxhole anymore. He looked around the darkened room, a damp basement full of hanging knives and tools for torture. Neil blinked and tried to rub away the vision of his father’s home in Baltimore, but it was no use. He was here. He was back in Baltimore in his father’s basement. The very basement where he used to sacrifice innocent people. 

Neil looked down at his hands. The bindings were gone and replaced by angry red welts against his skin. They didn’t hurt, in fact Neil couldn’t really feel much of anything right now. Everything felt floaty and surreal, as if he had dipped himself into a fishtank. 

**“Neil.”**

Neil sat up straight and looked around. The basement was empty, but he could have sworn he heard-

**“Neil, listen to me. Come back. Follow my voice.”**

“Andrew?” Neil said out loud. He stood up, looking around the dark room and trying to remember where the exit was. It took him a minute but he found it, the door was just out of view, he pushed it open and started up the stairs. 

The house looked exactly the same, down to the furnishing that his mother and father had put into place when they first moved in so many years ago. To the rest of the world it looked like a normal family home, to Neil it was hell with four walls and a roof. 

**“Neil.”**

“I hear you,” Neil said. He tried to figure out where the voice was coming from but it sounded as if it was _everywhere_. “Where are you?” 

He stepped into the kitchen and pushed through the bad memories so he could find his way to the front parlor. The house felt much smaller than he remembered, but then it had been years since he stepped foot in this house. The last time he was here he had a bag over his head and was brought straight to the basement. 

In the front parlor there was a painting of the Wesninskis on the wall. Mary and Nathan with Nathaniel tucked between them. Neil was lost in the memories. The walls were whispering and he felt like he could hear his father’s heavy steps just upstairs. Something creaked and Neil turned quickly to find a small glowing red fox standing by the entrance to the living room. 

“What are you?” 

The fox flicked her tail and turned, heading straight into the living room without looking back. 

**“Neil. Come back.”**

“I’m trying,” Neil bit out. He followed Kevin’s breathing exercises and tried to keep the anger back. “I’m trying,” He repeated, his voice softer and with more clarity. 

Neil went into the living room and followed after the small wisp of a fox. She flicked her tail at the entrance to the study and then went off again, out of view. 

“Wait,” Neil called after the creature. He followed her into the study, the room that his father had always used for business. He didn’t spare his father’s desk or chair a second glance. He followed the fox out the side door and to the back entrance of the mansion. 

It was dark outside, somehow, even though Neil knew that it was daytime back at the Foxhole. The fox disappeared straight through the back door and Neil rushed to follow after her. He threw the door open and slammed straight into a body. 

He reeled away and nearly fell back into the house. Hands wrapped around his arms and steadied him, stopping him from running off again. 

“Neil.” 

Neil blinked at the sight of Andrew. Trying to figure out what the fuck was happening and why he was suddenly here, but relief was much more powerful than his confusion. Without thinking, he reached out and tugged on the front of Andrew’s shirt, pulling them flush. 

“What the fuck is going on?” Neil asked. He didn’t realize he was shaking until Andrew’s arms wrapped around him and held him still. 

“You’re stuck,” Andrew said, “As soon as the bindings were removed you exploded fire all over the basement.” 

“Oh god,” Neil said. He pulled back and looked Andrew over. He was solid but somehow still barely lucent, sort of like the fox, a wisp or a vision of the real thing. “Is everyone okay?” 

“Yes. You passed out,” Andrew said, “I’ve been trying to pull you back.” 

“How are you-” Neil looked around, “Wait is this my head?” 

“Pretty shitty place if you ask me,” Andrew commented, “You could have picked somewhere brighter.” 

Neil let out a half amused snort and then covered his face with his hands to try and stop the panic from surfacing all over again.

“How do I get back?” 

Andrew hummed and released his hold on Neil’s arms and stepped back. The yard seemed to go into nothingness, just a thick black wall of shadows wrapping around the garden. 

Something meowed. Neil turned in time to see that the fox was now accompanied by a black cat, just as ghostly as the other, but somehow more solid and somehow with eyes sharp enough to cut through glass. 

“I think,” Neil said, pointing to the two animals that were standing by the edge of the garden, “We need to follow them.” 

They walked off the steps of the back porch and through the thick grass of the yard. Neil didn’t look back at the Baltimore house as he followed the cat and fox into the sheer darkness. 

They seemed to illuminate the way as they walked through the darkness. Neil reached out on instinct and took Andrew’s hand. They both squeezed and kept close to each other. 

The darkness started to subside and suddenly they were on the rooftop of the Foxhole. The fox and the cat came to a stand still by the roof access door. They looked at each other and then at Neil and Andrew and without any explanation they seemed to morph together into one being.

The fox and the cat were suddenly replaced with a fox that was split clean down the middle, half black and half red, one eye a burning hazel and the other a startlingly light shade of blue. 

“Andrew,” Neil said, clarity seeming to take over, “You came into my headspace.” 

“Yeah,” Andrew replied, he paused and then said, “It just _happened_.” 

“I know,” Neil said. He kept watching the creature in front of them, it sat by the door and tilted it’s head, a sort of smug look on its face.

“I think,” Neil started, breathless, “I think we just created a new headspace.” 

Andrew tugged on his hand, causing Neil to turn away from the fox at the door. “What are you talking about?” 

“I think we just created a shared headspace,” Neil clarified, “I didn’t know it was possible.” 

“What?” 

“ _Soulbinding_ , Andrew,” Neil said. 

Andrew didn’t look surprised or startled by the confession. If anything he looked like he _knew_ this was going to happen. 

The fox let out a short yowl from the door. Neil turned and looked at her. 

“We should go,” Neil said. 

Andrew nodded and then pulled Neil to the door. He pushed it open and the fox jumped out in front of them. They stepped through and there was a blinding light and when Neil opened his eyes he was in the center of the circle in the basement of the Foxhole. 

Andrew’s face was just inches away, their foreheads pressed together, and Andrew’s hands were wrapped around Neil’s jaw to keep him close. 

They both stared at each other in awe. Suddenly Neil could _feel_ him, his heart beat felt like a second chime with his own, he could feel the thoughts pushing through Andrew’s mind and into his head.

“I can _feel_ you,” Neil said reverently. 

“Yeah,” Andrew replied, breathless.

“Holy shit.” They both pulled away and looked up at Kevin who was watching them with clear awe. “What the fuck did you two do?” 

Something _warm_ shuffled in Neil’s lap. He looked down to see that the fox had followed them back out into the waking world. Neil released his hold on Andrew’s arm and reached out, petting the small creatures black and red fur. 

The fox perked up and turned to give her undivided attention to Neil. Her eyes were two unblinking masses that seemed to look straight through him. 

“ _Hello_ ,” the fox said, “ _My name is River._ ”

“Good lord,” Wymack let out, “What have you two done?” 

“ _Andrew went into Neil and they bound their souls_ ,” River spoke, her voice was less of a voice and more of a whisper of magic in the room around them, “ _I am their familiar_.”

“Wonderful,” Wymack said, but he sounded as if it was anything but. Neil looked down at his wrists and saw that the bindings were gone but had been replaced with a curling twist of a red marking that Neil had never seen before. 

“What is this?” He asked. He reached out and took Andrew’s hand where there was a matching mark. 

“ _Your binding_ ,” River said, “ _Congratulations. You should be honored to have me._ ”

“Cocky fucker,” Andrew said under his breath. River turned and gave him a firm swat in the arm. 

“You did it,” Kevin said, “You can use your magic now.” 

“I think I need time to-” Neil waved his arm and said, “Process.” 

“Come on,” Wymack said from above them, “Go upstairs and rest.” 

Neil stood and Andrew moved with him. The overwhelming feeling of sharing a headspace with someone else was almost enough to knock Neil on his feet, but Andrew reached out and grabbed his hand to keep him steady. 

They walked back up through the Foxhole, ignoring the members of the coven as they passed. They went straight to Andrew’s room and in two steps they were in bed, River curled up between them, and sleeping. 

━━━━━

“Out of desperation,” Wymack explained, “Andrew somehow managed to get into Neil’s headspace and bind their magic together.” 

“Is it permanent?” Abby asked. 

Neil was sitting on the couch with River tucked between his legs on the floor. Andrew was sitting beside him, a perfect statue of ease and uncontrol. 

“Yes,” Wymack said, “They _permanently_ ,” he said and looked in their direction as if they were in trouble, “Bound their souls together.” 

“I guess you’re stuck with me,” Neil said, giving Andrew a smug look. 

“Unfortunately,” Andrew replied and looked away. River let out a noise that sounded like a fox’s equivalent to a laugh. 

“You two performed one of the most dangerous and powerful magic bindings in existence,” Wymack said, completely in his lecture mode, “It is not a joke.” 

“It isn’t that bad,” Neil said, “We’re figuring it out.”

Wymack let out a sigh and pushed his hand through his hair. He looked like he had aged more in the last three days than he had in the months that Neil had known him. 

“Sorry?” Neil asked. 

Andrew let out a quiet snort. 

“Enough,” Wymack said, “Get out of here. I have to call the council and let them know what happened.” 

“Why?” Neil asked, immediately feeling the panic start to kick in, “Why do they have to know?” 

“They know about all registered bindings,” Wymack explained, “I have to tell them or they can bisband us if they find out we were hiding it. Don’t worry about it, kid. Nothing’s going to happen to you. They can’t exactly reverse it.” 

Neil let out a sigh of relief. He felt Andrew pushing against the edge of their shared headspace. Suddenly he was enveloped in warmth, a sort of invisible hug. Neil turned and looked at him with a goofy grin on his face. 

“Gross,” Andrew said and pushed his face away. 

Wymack dismissed them and they went down to the basement with River in tow. 

It had been three days since the unbinding of Nathaniel Wesninski and the binding of Neil Josten and Andrew Minyard. The first day was hell. River was an unconventional familiar, she was two familiars in one and two conflicting personalities constantly at war. What often came out of her mouth was brash and opinionated. She had an attitude that was two times too large for her small body. 

On top of River being a force of nature and a pain in the ass, the shared headspace caused problems in both the waking world and the sleeping world. 

They shared dreams now and they suspected that they would end up sharing even the bad ones. It hadn’t happened yet, but it was just a matter of time. 

Their thoughts were also often a mess inside their shared space. Neil could hear Andrew when he was thinking, not his exact thoughts, but he could hear him circling through ideas and images like an old movie reel. Neil’s thoughts were apparently loud and filled with panic. They practiced long enough to try and keep the thoughts at bay, but they learned that if they tried hard enough the other way around that they could share things with each other without anyone noticing. 

This meant that more often than not Andrew was making snide comments about everyone around them in Neil’s head and Neil had to try and keep himself from laughing.

Kevin was already in the training room waiting for them. Andrew sat down by the door, with his back against the wall. River climbed into his lap and Andrew let her, although he did flick her ear several times in retaliation. 

“Are you ready to start _really_ training?” Kevin asked, “Or are you still tired?” 

Neil gave Kevin a sharp smile and stepped onto the mat. He felt Andrew sending through waves of encouragement to _kick Kevin’s ass_.

“I’m ready,” Neil declared, “Just be warned. I might end up burning an eyebrow off.” 

Kevin smirked right back at him. “Yours or mine?” 

“Yours,” Neil said and let a flame come to life in the palm of his hand. The binding marks on his wrist danced and twirled and if he looked back he knew that Andrew’s were doing the same.

**Author's Note:**

> You can find me on [Tumblr](http://stjosten.tumblr.com) and [twitter](https://twitter.com/stjosten).


End file.
